SAP AG has unveiled its development roadmap for the vendor's product lifecycle management (PLM) application. Over the next three years, the company will build the extended tool on existing PLM capabilities, to provide an "end-to-end" reach for the technology. New releases of SAP PLM will be based on a service-oriented architecture. The product will help companies to collaborate with their networks of suppliers, customers and service partners across disparate information-technology systems. Beginning this year, SAP will offer the first in a series of composite applications related to PLM. In 2008, it will focus on simplifying the PLM user interface with an intelligent, role-based offering of information. According to the vendor, users will be able to implement the software with less training and fewer manual activities. Extended capabilities will facilitate worldwide collaboration. In 2009, SAP will offer additional features to allow for the management of all product-specific information, such as ideas, design, requirements, variant configuration and maintenance structure, in one integrated system. Enhancements planned for 2010 will permit the assimilation of "real-world" information, linkable via radio frequency identification (RFID) tags, SAP said.
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